Evolved
by Maelstrom590
Summary: It's been a long time since it happened. Before, I might have been doing the same thing over and over again - run, hide, live, repeat. Before, I stopped clinging to that false hope that remained in my heart. However, nothing lasts forever and everything won't stay the same. My whole life was flipped once before, and now it's going to flip again. [AU, OOC]
1. Prolouge

**Journal Entry**

Date: Day 263

Time: Around evening

Place: House no. 64

This is my first entry in this book since coming to this house.

I'm not sure how long this will be. Time isn't something we have in large amounts and every other second I write in this book means another second of preparation gone. However, I did help to put defences all over this place, so it should be quite secure.

Right now, I'm sitting at a desk, contently and comfortably writing this. Well, it is snowing outside, but it's warm here. Not snug-as-a-bug-in-a-bed warm, but just enough to feel comfortable and comfy. The sun doesn't shine much nowadays, especially now since it's winter, so I have to scourge around for items to survive these subzero temperatures.

Every time I write an entry down here, I get taken back to that place where it occurred. I don't know why that day replays in my head over and over again. Even after 552 days, which is about 1 year, 6 months and 3 days, I can still remember every single event clearly, the sounds, sights and smells - it's as if their stamped in my head. Is it a sense of nostalgia or what? I'm not really sure.

Anyways, let's get back to writing. It's just the two of us in the house right now. I finished my daily run in the morning, so there's no need to venture out of the house to look for more resources and supplies. We've already gotten enough from previous runs and our storage is slightly overflowing, so we should be okay for now. Unless she eats more than necessary, I don't think lack of food and water will be a problem.

Our biggest problem right now is our ammo and weapons. Recently, we've been encountering them more frequently. Now, we see more of them day after day, sometimes during runs or looking out of the window to see them out there. Thankfully, this house has an old bunker, which was probably somewhere back in the past. Maybe a war or something? We could use it to hide from them, but right now it's just storing some of our stuff. We can't bring a lot of things with us when we escape, so we packed all our essential items ahead so that we can pick them up and run. They aren't going to wait for you to put everything inside, you know?

Moving house was definitely a pain. Days of running have made it less hard, but that doesn't mean it's easy. Those things are much more physically stronger than us in every way, but at least they don't rank higher than us on the intelligence ladder. Even so, I wonder how we had survived for this long. Maybe luck or fate has something for us. Or maybe it's just for her. Definitely not me. Yep, totally.

We've long since given up on escaping this place and resigned ourselves to living out the rest of our lives here. All the inspirational talking I've heard and read about not giving up hope, the fight's not over yet, yada yada - it doesn't help. For me, I didn't choose the option of holding onto that small light that maybe, maybe someone's coming. Believe me, no one is.

Well, I should end soon. Time to wrap things up here and go back to help her out. Dinner will most likely be ready soon and I'm not eating cold food tonight! Don't worry, I'm not scared of her or anything, so I won't chicken out or anything. Hah hah, get it? We're eating chicken tonight, so chickening out? Get it? Hah hah…

...Well, it's funny, because the thing we're eating was originally a chicken. Bye.

Hikigaya Hachiman, signing off.


	2. Another Run

**Another Run**

Hikigaya Hachiman POV

Yawn. Reach out. Hit nothing. Too far. Fall. Thump.

Those were the actions taken by me to reach for my imaginary alarm clock until I hit empty air and _gracefully_ fell down on the floor. Hard.

I groaned into the floor, lying on the cold marble slates belly first. What a great day to start my day. And yes, that was sarcasm.

I pushed myself off the floor and stood up, feeling my muscles groan and ache at the movement. My eyes were still blinking and in pretty sure that if I had a mirror, faint eye bags would be seen. My throat was dry from sleeping with my mouth open and I felt pain rise up whenever I swallowed.

Ah, well, I've faced worse than a dry throat. With a start, I started to neaten myself and make sure nothing was missing. Gun, check. Ammo, check. Knife, check. After checking the rest of my items, I did some warm-ups and stretches like I always did. I still can't believe a worldwide disaster had to happen to finally convince me to stop being a couch potato.

After my exercises, I walked towards the door and threw it open, causing a BANG sound to occur from it hitting the door frame. I walked downstairs quietly, my feet lightly stepping on the steps before lifting themselves back up. Sneaking around was a useful skill I developed and I often used naturally. Looks like 'Stealth Hikki' was upgraded.

As I strolled down the stairs, I yawned and stretched my arms upwards. I guess I haven't fully recovered. "Komachi!", I called out, "Is brea-?"

When I got to the bottom floor, the first thing I noticed was the red couch. There, on that couch, was a brown lump rising and falling. Because of the way it was positioned, I couldn't see what it looked like, but it set me on guard anyways. One too many surprises have made me wary of what they could contain.

As quietly as I could, I slowly crept towards the unidentified mass, taking out my pistol. I tried my best to stop panicking and calm down. What was that thing? Where was Komachi? What if-? No, Hachiman, think positively!

Sadly, thinking positively was never my strong suit.

My mind still in turmoil with these thoughts, I quietly approached the couch, aiming my pistol at it carefully. My palms were sweaty and I was shaking slightly, but I forced myself to keep on moving.

When I reached the couch, I could see the object clearer. It actually wasn't a brown object, but a brown blanket on top of an object. I sighed in relief, lowering my gun I was holding in both of my hands but quickly raised it up again. I reasoned to myself the logic that just because something isn't something, it doesn't mean that it's the opposite or another thing. I almost led myself to believe that although it wasn't a brown thing, that didn't mean it wasn't one of… them.

I gulped and steadied my hands. I reached out with my left hand, my right one still holding the trigger, and flipped the blanket up. There, sleeping underneath it, was a brown-haired girl dressed in camo-clothes and laying on her side, her hands being used as a pillow for her head. Snoring quietly, the ahoge on her head swayed left and right like a cat tail.

For the second time that day, I sighed and dropped my hands, letting them loosely limp on my left and right. Nothing bad had happened and everyone was here, so that's a relief.

I shook the girl, who yawned and turned her body 180 degrees. "5 more minutes.", she murmured, before promptly snoring again.

I shook her even more. "Komachi.", I told her, "Get up. It's morning already."

Komachi yawned and turned her head, squinting her eyes. "Got it, Onii-", she said, before opening them wide open and tumbling out of the couch. "Ahhh! Fish!", she yelled.

"Where?!" I turned around and saw nothing, before the pain assaulted the back of my head and caused me to land face-first onto the floor.

As I said, it's a great way to start my day.

* * *

"Sorry, Onii-chan!"

Komachi served me breakfast while apologising to me. I could have gotten my own plate of food or help her cook, but the headache I was experiencing was everything but comfortable.

"Komachi, what's with the sudden attack? I really thought there was a fish."

"Ah, Onii-chan, I saw your eyes and freaked out a bit. Heh heh." Sticking your tongue out and punching your head doesn't earn any points.

"Again with the eyes. Do they really look like ones you see from a dead fish?"

From my childhood all the way to now, I was well aware that my eyes were the symbol of rottenness and creepiness. My only concern was that they were enough to make my imouto panic.

"Not that much. But, like, it's as though you're like one of those battle-hardened warriors."

Really?

"But more like the ones you see on the dead bodies."

If hope was a pancake, mine would be so flat it would be invisible from the side. Then, it would be eaten by some unsuspecting person or animal who just so happened to walk by.

Komachi, noticing my distress, came over and hugged me around my neck from behind. "Don't worry Onii-chan!", she chirped, "You'll always have me!"

"You always know how to lighten up the mood, don't you?"

After our usual breakfast conversation, we set up to do our morning work. Komachi was in charge of checking the house for any weak points, breaks or anything of the sort. She was also inspecting our supplies, in case we had a need for anything. Meanwhile, I went up to my room and started to prepare for my run.

I started to wear the rest of my clothes, since I slept in most of them during the night. Putting on my gear and weapons were a hassle, but I managed to do it. At least, I hoped I did. Mistakes made these days had a far worse penalty than being reprimanded or grounded.

I didn't have any clothes like the ones the army personnel wore, so that left me wearing everyday clothes. I also didn't have any of the fancy gadgets you see on TV, such as night-vision goggles or grappling hooks. I did, however, obtain some army gloves and boots I looted off of some dead bodies. I walked towards the desk, my green journal still open with its page flipped to the latest entry. I arranged the items on the table and started to grab the ammo, refilling my guns with them.

After the last bullet was done, I headed downstairs and walked towards the door, where Komachi lunged at me and hugged me tightly. "Be safe, okay?", she whispered into my ear, her voice full of concern.

I hugged her back. "I'll be back before lunch."

I walked outside and closed the brown, battered door behind me, with the waving of Komachi the last thing I saw before the door snapped shut.

The weather still hadn't changed much. More or less, it was the same. White snow covered the ground and buildings, restricting movement across the terrain. Snow fell wildly, the small blizzard wrecking its wrath across the earth. Hey, what about us humans?

A thick layer of snow could be seen on the roads, heading in all directions. It lay untouched and undamaged, having gathered up over the past few days. With no one walking around and cleaning up the snow, it seized and marked its territory, which was essentially the whole place.

The coldness started to affect me, causing my hands and legs to shiver. I wrapped my arms around myself and pulled my jacket so that it covered me more. I also flipped up my hoodie so that it protected my head against the downfall of frozen water vapour. You'd think that growing up and living in weather like this would make me immune to it or develop some kind of resistance, but noooo. You thought wrong.

Grumbling to myself, I trudged forwards down the road, moving slowly as my boots delved deep into the snow with every step I took. I left imprints of footsteps into the snow, making another one with each right and left leg I put forward. As I plodded through, I wondered how we ended up like this. By 'we', I was referring to the earth and every single person who had lived on it.

The second mistake I made this day, the first being my turning my back on Komachi, was to naively think that my footsteps would leave a trail back to the house. In my confidence, I turned around… only to see nothing but another thick layer of snow like the one that lay ahead of me.

"Damn it.", I thought. "Why did I think it could work? You Hachiman, Hachiman!"

Already in the first 20 minutes of my run and I already considered giving up. I steeled my nerves and prepared to move on. I had been on hundreds of other runs before and this one is no different! I kept moving forward despite my heavy challenges and kept searching.

The first incident I encountered was a convenience store up ahead with the lights on. Now on a normal day, with adults rushing to work and teenagers walking to school, this would be a normal sight. But right now, in the post-apocalyptic world, it only made me grow suspicious.

If the lights were on, then wouldn't that mean somebody turned them on? Whoever did this was stupid to think it was a good idea. Lights attract _them_ and sometimes, even in large numbers. Not wanting to risk getting to near, I was about to turn back until something caught my eye.

For a moment, from the corner of my eye, I saw movement happen inside the store. Wait no, outside. Someone slipped behind the store and disappeared from my line of sight. It could have been my imagination, but I was 89% sure someone was there.

I considered rushing there and look for that person, but I came to my senses. No matter who it was, I wouldn't risk my life for them. Their problem, not mine. If it was Komachi though, I would have probably run there, guns blazing everywhere American-style.

So, ignoring the situation, I calmly headed on my way. I still had my objective in my mind, and that was to gather more supplies and come back to Komachi alive. Wait for me!

And so, I missed the watchful gaze of the mysterious figure.

* * *

My grey watch was telling me it was 11:00 am, which left me roughly around an hour to get back to the house in time for lunch. Considering the fact my footsteps would already have been filled up with snow and lost, all I could do was wait in a random building until the blizzard ended or make my way back. Being the sometimes-confident person I am, I chose the latter.

I was fairly certain I could get back since I remembered some landmarks on my path. The red wall, the broken statue… oh, and don't forget the convenience store with all its flashy lights.

I was able to find some canned food, but that's all. No materials or weapons. Luckily, the food was canned food, so I was able to stuff a bunch of them into my very heavy bag. Komachi, I hope you're fine with having tuna and vegetables tonight.

I also didn't manage to find any animals running around, like a deer or a rabbit. Shame we can't have any freshly cooked rabbit stew tonight. There's always tomorrow though.

Taking extra care to walk next to the buildings instead of in the middle of the street, I trudged and trudged and trudged, certain objects around me becoming familiar once I saw them.

There it was, the convenience store! Surprisingly, it hadn't been attacked yet and was still in good shape despite the lights being on. Well, let's get goi-.

I suddenly started to cough and hack violently. A strong smell assaulted my nostrils and I fought to stay conscious. What was happening? I didn't hear anything, so did what happened? I looked for the source of the odour when I saw it.

A small, silvery-grey canister was lying behind me. It was shaped like a smaller fire extinguisher, yet you didn't need to hold down the handle for the foam to come out. I saw what was coming out of it and felt fear rise up within me.

Nothing. I couldn't see anything rising up from the small canister. It looked as though it was empty and all the contents inside, if there were any to begin with, were already gone. In fact, it could actually have been a harmless prank to any observer or onlooker.

The only thing was that I had already smelled it before. And I knew exactly what it was.

In my panic, I rushed to get shelter next to the building, my heart thumping in fear. If I could, I would be sweating buckets right now, but it was too cold for me to actually do that. When I got there, I crouched down and brought out my machine gun. I quickly scanned my surroundings, looking for any signs of danger, when I saw it.

A tiger was heading towards the canister. I felt a small part of me felt relieved since it was only one tiger. Now if there were more, I would have a problem, but I could fairly handle one.

The tiger sprinted towards the canister and growled, touching it with its paw. Strange. The gas didn't attract mammals. Only insects and arachnids. So what was it doing here? It's possible it could have smelled the gas and decide to investigate, but why a tiger? What was a tiger doing in Japan? Some sort of experiment, perhaps?

It continued to play with the canister, hitting it and wondering what the heck it was. I got up to my feet, my gun still aimed at it, and slowly moved away. I still had questions lingering in my mind, but I was too afraid to find out the answer. Where did the canister come from? Who threw it? Was someone trying to kill me?

I had to hurry. Get away from this place. Suddenly, I noticed some bricks fall down on the street, as though they came from above. I looked up, causing my heart to fill with dread at what I saw.

A dark, long and sharp object came down on the tiger, trapping it on where it stood.

SHINK! The tiger howled in pain and attempted to run away, but the object, whatever it was, held it in place. It was struggling vigorously against the grip, until it was lifted up into the air, experiencing a once-in-a-lifetime experience that was extremely rare. The tiger continued to struggle and wrench itself free from the vice-like grasp, until the last sight it saw was an open mandible heading towards it.

I watched in horror as a dark shape devoured the tiger from on top of the building, balancing itself. I couldn't see its details clearly due to the high amount of snow that was falling, but I could tell what it was from its shape.

A praying mantis. With its spines, it held the tiger in the air, all the while eating it as though it was a snack. I backed up and started to run. Sure, I had dealt with other insects before, but none of them were as big as that. Come on, hurry Hachiman!

The mantis screeched and descended, its legs piercing through the walls of the building and causing its walls to collapse and crumble. It headed towards the canister and kept piercing the area, screeching loudly as it could. Some of the arms also hit the convenience store, destroying the building and making it fall down in bricks and smoke.

I kept running as fast as I could through the thick snow, my legs carrying me away from the place. The view of the mantis slowly disappeared, along with all the wreckage and rubble from the destruction site. Once I presumed it was safe to rest, I stopped and put my hands on my knees, panting heavily.

I couldn't believe I just escaped from there. I thought there was no way out for me, and there wouldn't be if it noticed me. Heh heh, I guess I'm quite lucky. See Komachi, even your brother can have little mira-!

A THUMP sound came from behind me. Instinctively, I turned around and simultaneously grabbed my gun, pointing it towards whatever or whoever it was.

I stared at the ground, the source of the thump apparently coming from it. If this was some kind of cartoon, a question mark would be floating above my head.

In front of me, I was aiming at a pink-haired girl wearing a white lab coat.

* * *

I want to apologise for any inaccurate and incorrect statements I have made. Some stuff, like the tiger, won't be explained sometimes. Now for the praying mantis, I did my best to make my facts factually correct through some research. If anything's wrong, then feel free to message me or leave a review.

Also, I'm not the best at making clotheing descriptions, so please pardon that.

Bye.


	3. The Engineer

**The Engineer**

Yuigahama Yui POV

Ahhhhhh…. It's so cold. Well, I guess this what happens you land face-first into snow during a blizzard. But I was so tired and didn't have any strength to move further. Now that I think about it, running after that guy might have been a big problem.

It was an impulsive action, a choice made between staying at the store or following him. To be honest, while following might have not been decision, I didn't want to stay with the big bug either. Thinking back, I wonder if I had just picked the third option - running away in a direction that wasn't towards the guy or the creature.

I could faintly register the sounds of feet stepping on snow, getting louder and louder, nearing me until they stopped right next to my body. If I had the strength, I would have gotten up or at least looked up to see what was above me. I was naturally curious, courtesy of the education my parents and I taught me and myself.

I moaned, feeling my body literally freezing over. Ok, maybe not literally, but that's what it felt like. I couldn't hear anything, so did that mean he, or whoever it was, left? If so, that would mean that I'm alone, out here in the raging cold. AHHHH! Someone help me! I don't want to die!

And so, because I was too tired and exhausted, I didn't feel myself being lifted up.

* * *

Errr…. Where am I?

I opened my eyes to darkness, seeing only the colour black in front of me. I panicked and reached my hand out, feeling nothing except empty air. Was I hallucinating or was this a dream? But it felt too real to me. I could still see the faint outline of my hand, carefully tracing the lines of each finger. Although it was dark, the things I saw seeing and the things that I felt were too vivid for me to imagine. After much consideration, I finally concluded that I wasn't dead and that this wasn't inside my head either.

So where was I?

I sat up

I sat up, propping up my arms to support me. my back aching and still slightly shivering. It didn't feel as cold as before, so that meant that I was probably indoors. I didn't have the strength to move inside, so somebody must have carried me here. Was it that guy from earlier? But why would he do that? Unless…

W-well, he must have _some_ kind of decency, right? I m-mean, n-not all m-men are like t-that… But what if h-he kidnapped me to ra- stop that, Yui! You're a genius, you can get out of this!

The curtains were closed, so I couldn't see outside. There were no watches or clocks here, no device or way to tell me how late it was. The lights were also off, assuming they could even be turned on, which meant I couldn't see well. I tried to move my legs, but they remained stiff on the bed.

Just then, the door opened and a guy's head poked around the door. "Hey, ho-?"

"GAAHHH!" I fell backwards and out of the bed landing on the floor. The impact hurt my backside, but I was too panicked to worry over the small matter.

The guy came over, surprise and concern evidently showing on his face. He opened his mouth, but before he could utter anything, a torrent of words started to barrage him.

"Please don't hurt me I'll do anything I want to go home just don't hurt me ahhhhhh!" My unending line of words continued to spout out of my mouth, saying whatever came to my mind as an attempt to stop him.

Shortly afterwards, I was out of breath and looking up at the guy, panting heavily. I was scared and _really_ considering if following him was a smart plan. For all I know, we were the only two people in this place, which meant I could shout and scream all I wanted and no one would be able to come to my aid.

Good job, Yui. In spite of brain, sometimes, you're really dumb.

Please don't reprimand me at a time like this right now.

Meanwhile, the strange guy was standing there the whole time, looking at me weirdly. He was most likely contemplating what horrible action to do to me. Quick, I have to ge-.

A hand outstretched itself in front of my face. For a moment, I was confused. What was he doing? I looked up at his face, which flicked towards his hand. "Take it.", he said, as though he was bored, "It won't bite."

I stared into his eyes, then reached out my own hand as well. Maybe he wasn't as bad as I thou-.

"Go, Onii-chan, go!" Simultaneously, our heads swivelled around to the door. There, a girl was standing there, hands raised in the air. Upon seeing us looking at her, she waved her hand and slowly backed away. "Onii-chan go!"

So we were left, two teenagers standing next to a bed, frozen in bewilderment and having completely forgotten the other.

* * *

"Ehh, so you aren't Onii-chan's girlfriend?", the girl said.

I nodded. "Yep."

The girl, turned her head to look at her older brother, who was leaning against the wall. "Onii-chan, you lied to me!", she accused, pointing a finger at him.

"You were the one who came up with the conclusion that I was dating her!", he defended himself, "I only met her hours ago!"

"Onii-chan, you suck."

The time was now 3:00pm, and I was sitting on a couch, a blanket wrapped around me. Right now, I was spectating my saviour and his little sister, who were locked in a conversation, having forgotten me.

"Just because I came in with a girl doesn't mean we're dating. I mean, what part of it even indicates that?", the guy said.

The girl pouted. "True, but I finally thought I could be proud of Onii-chan having finally moved on from a loner phase."

"Hey hey, don't discriminate. Being in such a stage is truly a joyous and wonderful experience."

"Only you would say that, Onii-chan."

Watching the two siblings bickering with each other made me feel as though I was intruding on their space. "Umm…", I timidly said, raising up my hand like a kid in school. "I'm still here."

The girl blinked. "Oh, sorry about that.", she sheepishly said, rubbing the back of her head, "I haven't introduced myself. I'm Hikigaya Komachi and that's my Onii-chan, Hikigaya Hachiman. You can call me Komachi!"

"What she said."

After their introductions, they stared at me as if they were waiting for something. I wondered what it was as well, until I realised I haven't given them my name either. "Oh, uh, uh, Yu-Yui.", I stuttered, "Y-Yuigahama Yui. T-that's my n-name."

"Who else could it be?", the guy, Hikigaya Hachiman, muttered. Unfortunately, his sister heard him and threw a pillow at his face.

It hit squarely on his nose and, surprised, fell down on the floor. "Oww.", he complained, glaring at his sister, "What was that for?"

"You're being rude to our guest, Onii-chan. Learn some manners."

"So cruel…"

Once again, the two siblings had forgotten about me, lost in their own world and conversation. This time, though, I didn't mind. It was refreshing, watching two people talk normally despite the demise of the world and population.

"What do I call you?"

The guy turned his head in my direction, pondering what to say. After some time, he came up with an answer. "Hikigaya."

"But that's too long."

"Then what do you want?"

I thought about it for a moment. "...Hikki."

"Nope. Instantly rejected. Denied.", he said, crossing his arms and shaking his head. "Besides, we barely know each other."

"But your name's so loooong!"

"Your name's even longer. Mine's 8 letters, yours is 9."

"Still..."

"So it's okay?"

"Yep!"

"Hey, who said you could speak for me?"

Komachi then clapped her hands together. "All right!", she declared, "Let's eat dinner!"

"Stop changing the subject!"

I became curious. "You made dinner?"

"Yeah, while you guys were talking." How did she do that? I mean, shouldn't it be physically impossible?

"That it isn't possible." Both heads turned towards me "First off, the distance between you and the kitchen is too large for you to travel there, make food and return back here. Secondly, the…."

Since I was too busy explaining the how it was physically impossible for her to do that, the siblings just stared at me throughout my whole explanation, not making a single sound.

"...and thus, she couldn't have possi-, wait, where is everyone?", I realised, turning my head left and right. I was the only one left in the living room.

Panicked, I went to find them, only to see them both eating dinner without me. When I went to find them, I asked why they never told me. Their response?

"What was up with the whole scientific explanation?"

* * *

Halfway through dinner, I asked a question.

"What are you guys still doing here?"

So far, we were silent throughout our meal, except at the start when we softly clasped our hands together and whispered 'itadakimasu'. The only sounds that could be heard were the sounds of mouths chewing food and chopsticks hitting each other. Unable to bear the silence any longer, I had to say something, and I didn't realise how stupid it sounded until it came right out of my mouth.

"Ahh..", I waved my hands, "You don't need to tell me. I mean, I gue-."

"Left behind.", Hikki stated. Silently, he continued to chew his food. After some time, I did as well.

This continued on for another minute, until Komachi asked me a question as well. "Yui-san", she started, "How did you survive as well? Like, did you have any friends or something?"

"Well… no.", I said. "It was just me out there."

"Eh? Just you?"

"Y-yeah…", I trailed off, remembering the past one and a half years I went through, scourging Japan for materials and supplies, all the while avoiding the monsters that have colonized it.

"Well, it's in the past so-", I started to say, but stopped. I realised that I was missing something important, a familiar object missing. My trusty knife, which was always strapped on to me, was gone. The brown sheath was empty, hanging and attached to my belt.

I racked my brain for information on where it may have been, but the only conclusion was that I had dropped it. "Sorry", I apologised, standing up, "I have to go get something."

"Mmhmm!", Komachi said, giving me a thumbs up. Hikki was silent, glancing at me. Ignoring the weird feeling in my chest, I went back to the living room, in hopes of finding my knife.

No luck. Then, the only other possible place would be upstairs. I climbed the stairs up to the bedroom where I was put. I opened the decaying door, the room greeting me with a slightly messed up bed and darkness.

I went to the bed, making sure the knife wasn't there. "Where did I put it…?", I thought in my head, not realising I had said the same words out loud as well. "I swear I had it, maybe I put it somewhere? But I don't remember doing that…"

Engrossed in my thoughts, I didn't hear the door silently close behind me.

Engrossed in my thoughts, I didn't hear the sound of footsteps slowly walk to me.

And only when I spun around after noticing the room getting darker was my mouth covered and I was forced down on the bed. Because I had turned around, my back was on the bed sheets, giving me a clear view of the perpetrator.

Above me, Hikki was standing with one hand covering my mouth, the other holding my missing knife.


End file.
